My Creatively Random Life

As another year passes me by and I look to add another number onto my age I am reflective of how lousy the last year has been in so many ways.  Yet, it has also brought me so much joy.  I have been sick for much of it, but that allows me more time to read. Mike and I had some really rough patches but we came out stronger on the other side and are now planning our dream wedding.  Seriously, it's going to be awesome. My arm has left me unable to write (or type) for long periods of time so I am exploring new and more awesome ways of doing things and being creative.  My knee injury left me unable to exercise properly for much of the last year...I have no upside for that one.  Sadly because I love food I am only now starting to lose the weight I put on.  Watch out for ice and love your knees people! Tomorrow marks the start of the  A to Z Challenge , I am prepared this year, I have a theme, scheduled posts and everything.  Nothing left to do but ...

Newbie by Jo Noelle The housing market is crashing, and Sophie’s life is crashing with it. At twenty-four, her successful real estate career evaporates. She’s broke, can’t find a job, or pay her bills, leaving Sophie wondering how her successful lifestyle became so fragile. At the urging of her roommate, Sophie accepts a job in her fallback career—teaching six-year-olds. She hopes it’s temporary. After all, how long can a tanking economy last anyway? The best part of the new job is Liam, another employee at Rio Grande Elementary. The worst part of the new job is, well, teaching. Sophie has a surprise real estate closing from a contract she wrote months ago, leading her to a niche in the real estate market and to a new partner, Kevin. Sophie must choose between Liam or Kevin and between a lucrative career or recess duty. Amazon * Barnes & Noble EXCERPT : Lust. Someday it will be deep and abiding love, but today it’s just surfacey infatuation and need. I lust this...

Book Description : A thrilling novel spiced with erotica that represents the story of Dalia Raz, a successful ceramics artist who suddenly becomes a widow after her husband is killed by a mysteries explosion in the factory he worked in. In her despair, she decides to change and rehabilitate her life from her disaster. She turns her life upside down and opens a business for day use renting rooms by the hour for intimacy purposes. In parallel, she begins searching for the truth regarding her husband’s death and a series of explosions in secret military facilities. She refuses to believe that the series of explosions is random, but discovers nothing. Her new unorthodox job exposes her to a new, intriguing world. She collects funny, tragic and dramatic stories about her guests’ *** lives in her deluxe rooms—stories about ***, cheating and forbidden relationships. She writes about her experiences and publishes a book about it Her new fascinating life exposes the reader to amusi...

Book Description: It seems as if by the second a new health study brings THE answer for what is good for us. This academic-narrative fascinating book is based on the assumption that the right path for health, happiness and abundance in so personal that only you are responsible of finding and embracing the "best answer". Dr. Feldman invites you to discover what happens when "Gymnastics" meets "Mind", when they are put together as a way of life. She inspires you to "Gymind" Your way in life, to pursue health and happiness the way that suits you. She uncovers the personal empowering story of Muriel, Aida, Oliver, Maya, Irene, Barak, and many others who embrace Gymind as a way of life. Their personal growth and inner revelations (painted in grey throughout this book, along with other surprising tips and guidelines), reflect on all of us as if we experience our personal grow along with them. Review: The self help books littering my house a...

It's that time of year once again for the A to Z Challenge.  I didn't finish last year and for that I hang my head in shame.  This year however I prepared well in advance and I am good to go. Without further ado my 2015 theme is: That's right, I learned five new words for every letter of the alphabet and I am sharing them with you. It's always a good idea to expand your vocabulary, that's why word of the day calendars are so popular.  In fact, that's where I got the idea. I hope everyone learns at least a couple new words.  See you on the other side!

  Book Synopsis: “Fane, my friend . . . we have a crow to find.” When an evil crow snatches a beloved medallion, young trolls Thistle and Fane have one more reason to venture outside the Clearing. Enticed by the mysterious Anila Mountain, and angry at King Tasso for sheltering them for far too long, they’re driven to search for a way across Mangleblood River. What they find . . . will change their lives for all eternity. “When did you get so brave?” I whispered. “When I had someone to rescue, I guess.”  “The Truth About Mud” is the first story in the ‘Mangleblood Rose’ Miniseries. Review: You know when you read a short story and you get to the end and you are sad because there's nothing left to read?  That's how I felt at the end of this story.  Their story was done but I desperately wanted to go on another adventure with them. The characters are all fantastically written, I wanted to stay in their world forever. ~ Book/Purchase Links ~ Ama...

Book Synopsis : Sixteen-year-old Joy Montgomery, daughter of Zephyr the Magnificent, the great magician, can only reminisce of better times. Before the Superiors. Before the uprisings. Long ago. Before the dying Earth ripped the family she loved away from her. She can only dream of the adventure life must've been before their ancestors brought the apocalyptic devastation in the form of disastrous climate change. In this desolate dystopian future, the Greenleigh orphans are “privileged” with the task of building mechanical trees for the post-apocalyptic survivors in Bygonne, so their world behind The Wall can breathe another day, and so the Superiors may continue their malevolent reign. Lured by a yearning for freedom, tenacious curiosity, and hunger for adventure, Joy discovers hope and magic amid the misery, and power in her promise to care for those remaining, whom she loves enough to risk her life for. To save them, herself, and the boy she adores from the abuse and sl...

My slow cooker is probably one of the most underused appliances in my house.  I was so excited when we got it on sale when I was at home on maternity leave with Cat, it meant that we could continue to have great, home cooked meals once I went back to work.  Sadly, the prep for it seemed to take my longer than actually making a home cooked meal so it just sat on the counter collecting dust. I did use it for Christmas though, boy can I make a great slow cooker ham.  Yummy!  Which frees up my oven to make a turkey if I want.  Anyway, fast forward to the opportunity to review this book, I want to use my slow cooker more.  The idea of coming home after working ten or twelve hours and not having to cook because it's ready is fantastic.  So I volunteered happily. The first recipe I decided to test out was the roast because our family has a deep love of beef. There it is all rubbed with spices and placed in the slow cooker, looks like it will be ...

Book Description: A new era is dawning. Within less than two decades a fundamental change has taken place in our lives. Humanity, which has so far existed in one defined world, now exists simultaneously in both a real and a virtual world. We have developed a parallel universe, one that exists, is significant, powerful and even threatening. We are all present in that world, and it has practical implications for all aspects of our lives. This book deals with the Era of the Global Individual. It describes the Global Person’s formation process and addresses the ideological, educational and leadership challenges stemming from this new reality while offering practical tools for contending with them. These tools are based on innovative research dealing with the crossroads between research on emotions and technology, and the wisdom we have acquired through the ages. Review: I don't read a lot of non-fiction books, they just don't tend to hold my interest for very long.  Th...

Celebrate the Small Things is hosted by  Lexa Cain  along with wonderful co- hosts  Writing Off The Edge  and  The Cyborg Mom . I have a lot of things I am celebrating this week both big and small, on the small side I got a start on my shoes for my Poison Ivy costume and they are working out better than I was worried that they might. On the much bigger side, I made a decision on a wedding dress and went ahead with buying one.  It's a little more expensive (but not majorly) than I really wanted but it is everything I wanted so we will work out the budget somewhere else.  (like I will finally maybe get that Etsy store I have been talking about for five years up and running?) This weekend we are going to check out our top choice for a wedding venue so we are all really excited about that.  I think Cat might be the most excited.  I am really happy that the kids are so happy to be involved in the whole process of helping us plan. What ar...

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted  Bouquet Of Books  and  Entertaining Interests .  This week's topic is: Who would narrate your life in a movie? (submitted by Debra @ The White Mage) I love this question so much!  What a fun thing to think about, I would love to have a movie of my life made.  There are a few parts of it that would make for excellent story lines. As for my choice for a narrator, it would have to be Peter Capaldi of course.  I couldn't imagine anyone better.  That accent is to die for. Who would narrate the story of your life? This is a blog hop, check out what everyone else has to say too:

On “Once Upon A Rhyme: Lullaby Renditions Of Hip-Hop Classics”, Jammy Jams explores the melodies of old school hip-hop songs and brings them to life with calming renditions for parents to enjoy along with their babies. The parent can take a stroll down memory lane while creating brand new memories for baby. This album soothes the inner and outer soul. You will be amazed as you listen to soothing lullabies featuring the melodies of acclaimed old school hip-hop songs such as Run-D.M.C.’s “Rock Box” and Coolio’s “Gangstas’s Paradise”. The soothing sounds are what Jammy Jams is all about. Experience these popular tunes in a whole new way with baby today. Review: This was so much better than I thought it would be, I have heard lullaby renditions of songs I loved before and they were passably recognizable but not great.  Once Upon A Rhyme is really good, I uploaded it on my phone so that I would have it on the go as a break from the regular stuff I listen too. Cat and Ace bo...

This is the bestselling original by Rayne Hall, published in 2011 and updated in 2015. Learn step-by-step how to create fictional fights which leave the reader breathless with excitement. The book gives you a six-part structure to use as blueprint for your scene. It reveals tricks how to combine fighting with dialogue, which senses to use when and how, how to create a sense of realism, and how to stir the reader's emotions. You'll decide how much violence your scene needs, what's the best location, how your heroine can get out of trouble with self-defence and how to adapt your writing style to the fast pace of the action. There are sections on female fighters, male fighters, animals and weres, psychological obstacles, battles, duels, brawls, riots and final showdowns. For the requirements of your genre, there is even advice on how to build erotic tension in a fight scene, how magicians fight, how pirates capture ships and much more. You will learn about dif...